One of the biggest ways to reduce your grocery bill is to plan your meals. Not only does this allow you to waste less food by buying only what you need, but also minimizes the cost of eating out. Eating at home is also much healthier, allowing you to control the quality and quantity of your ingredients. Here are my five easy steps to planning healthy meals for you and your family.

1. Pick one day of the week and set aside only 15 minutes to make this work. Believe me; this small amount of time invested will be well worth it. We all know the feeling of opening the refrigerator or pantry doors and staring at a plethora of food but thinking “there is nothing to eat and everyone is hungry – no wait, starving!”

2. Make the days of the week theme days! This sets a tone for weekly meals as well as a routine. You don’t need to cook the same things week-to-week, but it is easier if you have a theme to work around. “Meatless Mondays,” “Flavorful Fish Fridays,” “Italian Night“ or Asian Night, “The Kids Cook Mondays” (or pick another day) are all wonderful examples that not only are fun, but are also integrating health at the same time. And don’t forget “Parent’s Night Off” or “Clean Out The Fridge Night” to allow for leftovers.

3. Get out one cookbook and some favorite recipes. I say one cookbook, because you can easily become overwhelmed (from personal experience) with looking through multiple cookbooks at once.

Choose at least five meal ideas that you can incorporate into your weekly schedule. Use three different proteins (think fish or seafood, pork or beef, and chicken or turkey) and try to stretch them into two meals. If you are implementing “Kids Cook Mondays,” be sure to let the kids choose that recipe.

4. Get out a monthly calendar or a notebook instead of a scrap of paper (you will want a record). Jot down your five to seven dinner ideas for the week. It is also helpful to have a plan for breakfast as well – my kids enjoy ideas like “Toasty Tuesdays” and “Wacky Waffle Wednesdays.”

5. When it comes to mealtime, be sure to get feedback. The thumb system works well at the table where everyone rates the recipe while they are eating it.

The final touch would be then to add a gold star to the calendar day to indicate success (great way to get the kids involved).

Before you know it, you will have built a collection of “go-to” recipes, and meal planning will be a cinch.